Sunday, in front of a decent crowd at Iowa Speedway, the Nationwide Series took center stage. The Sprint Cup folks were doing their All-Star weekend thing down at Charlotte giving the Nationwide drivers the big stage. By the size of the crowd and the type of racing we saw, it did not disappoint.
One year ago Sam Hornish Jr. was looking for a job after being let go from his Nationwide assignment with Penske Racing. He hooked up with Kyle Busch’s – Joe Gibb’s Nationwide team to drive in any races where Busch was not available. Sunday, Hornish played the part of Kyle Busch, winning the race at Iowa.
Which brings me to my point. Busch, Brad Keselowski and to a lesser extent, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick have hogged the winner’s circle the last few Nationwide seasons. There has been much debate concerning the Sprint Cup drivers running so many Nationwide races.
Some believe that having Sprint Cup regulars helps bring in more fans. Others believe it gives the Nationwide drivers and teams a better measure of where they stand. I don’t think it does either. The Nationwide races have been sparsely attended the past few seasons. Few people will spend their money on a Nationwide race when they can go to the same track the next day and see the stars.
The measuring stick argument is interesting as well but as Hornish and Dave Blaney proved this weekend, put these guys in good cars and they’ll win races as well.
I think this weekend gave us a solution to the Sprint Cup drivers dominating the Nationwide series. NASCAR knew there was an issue a couple seasons ago when they stopped awarding points to drivers not committed to a full season in either the Sprint or Nationwide series.
That didn’t work. Messer’s Busch, Keselowksi, Kenseth and Harvick could care less about points in the Nationwide series. They’re out there for the “W”. I know that fans appreciate seeing the stars of the Sprint Cup series race against the developing drivers in the Nationwide series. I’m guessing if the truth be known though, the drivers in the Nationwide series don’t think so kindly of it. I can’t imagine that Hornish, coming off a victory this weekend, will enjoy watching the race from the stands this coming weekend in Charlotte. Kyle Busch most likely will be in the #54 car.
Think about it. Hornish drives the #54 car into victory lane only to be benched the next race. Tough job! Is that really what NASCAR wants out of their Nationwide series? Or wouldn’t it be better for the sport if the Nationwide series was used to develop drivers, cars, and teams to aspire to the Sprint Cup level? Shouldn’t the priority of Nationwide be to give drivers like Hornish, Chase Elliot and Ryan Blaney a car to drive week in and week out so they become the next generation of NASCAR stars?
Stand Alone Nationwide Races
This past Sunday, Nationwide had the stage all to themselves. The rich uncles were trying to become millionaires at Charlotte leaving Hornish, Blaney and Elliot to provide a very entertaining and exiting afternoon of racing. There was no Busch or Keselowski in sight and the racing was just fine, thank you.
The Nationwide Series follows their Sprint Cup brethren to most venues through the season. This past weekend in Iowa was just one of five weekends where Nationwide races are held at a separate venue. This makes it difficult for the Sprint boys to race in both the Sprint race and Nationwide race during the weekend. Perhaps the solution is to run at separate venues for more Nationwide races.
Currently, Iowa (twice), Road America, Mid-Ohio, and Kentucky are the stand alone Nationwide weekends. How about adding a few more? Montreal was a terrific road course race, often the seasons most exciting. Rockingham, North Wilkesboro and a ton of other Southern tracks would be great opportunities to hold Nationwide events far removed from the Sprint Cup drivers.
NASCAR should commit to developing drivers and race teams. The best place to do that currently is in the Nationwide series. Having a driver win one week and then remove him from the car for a part-time Nationwide driver who drive in the Sprint series full time does nothing to grow the sport.
If NASCAR is not willing to legislate protection to Nationwide drivers then the best solution is to separate the two series wherever possible. It’s a crying shame that Hornish gets benched after winning a race. A racing shame.
On to Charlotte for NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca Cola 600. My picks:
1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Kyle Busch
3) Matt Kenseth
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